Within Without
by haloangel21
Summary: Prime. He was always there for her, no matter what. But now, he was needing her comfort, feeling weakness for the first time since his amnesia. Set after the events of "Nemesis Prime". Some OptimusxArcee one-shot.


**Within Without**

A _Transformers: Prime _ one-shot by haloangel21

(11/1/13) Author's Note: I guess you can call this a totally different story. It's not really a sequel or a prequel to my other one-shot **Hummingbird**. I tried my best on this, but somehow that ended making it worse. Enjoy…?

* * *

"Optimus, you must rest," Ratchet insisted his old friend as the Autobot leader did push ups on the floor. He sensed the commander was becoming exhausted because his frequent moving was slowing down. He even was heaving deep pants in between.

"I will rest, Ratchet, when I have finished my round of push ups in order to heal quickly," was all Optimus said as he grunted to complete a push. His faceplates broke out into a small grin when he finished the small push, proud of his accomplishments so far. His arms, however, were straining to keep him upright as they started to shake violently and his just-repaired wound flared intensely, forcing him to hiss in pain and collapse back onto the concrete. Ratchet rolled his optics, shaking his head.

"I knew it," he grumbled. The medic moved to help the Prime up. "_Now_ do you see why I specifically told you to stop? The blow that Nemesis Prime gave you almost hit your extremely vital parts. Just be thankful that I managed to heal your wound properly in the nick of time," he growled as he lifted Optimus to his feet.

"I am fine, _Doctor_," Optimus emphasized, causing Ratchet to scoff in return.

"Mm-hmm. Suuure," the CMO muttered under his breath before settling the mech on the medical berth. After doing so, he glanced over his shoulder to where the rest of the bots were stationed. As soon as Ratchet's glare set on them, they looked away; some whistling quite awkwardly. "So! Who here wants to help Optimus back to his quarters for his much needed recharge?" He was expecting someone to step forward and offer their services, but he was met with silence. _And I thought these younglings had the spark to do it!_ He had the urge to whack their helms with his wrench, but restrained himself.

Minutes became long as time passed by.

For the longest time between himself and the Autobots, there was complete silence.

"Ahem," Bulkhead finally had the backbone to speak up. Ratchet looked at him hopefully. "W-well, would you look at the time? I uh…I gotta go drop Miko off." He called to Miko, who got in after he transformed and shot out of the base at high speed with the teenager screaming her head off.

That left Bumblebee and Arcee with their human charges.

"Alright then. It's down to you two an-"

[S-sorry, Ratchet. But Raf has a bedtime schedule and we're kinda late now, so…sorry!] Bumblebee beeped nervously, not wanting to be dented in the head by the medic's wrench as he snatched the boy gently, transformed and ran out.

Ratchet sighed frustratingly. _One day. Just one day they would listen to him!_ Shortly after Bumblebee and Raf left, Optimus lifted an optic ridge, unimpressed by how Ratchet was doing. But the CMO paid no attention to him. That only left…

Arcee.

The said royal blue femme appeared to be dumbfounded by her friends' sudden disappearance as she pointed to herself. _M-me_?

Ratchet grinned as he clasped her shoulder a bit roughly. "Great! Since you're the last Autobot guardian standing here, you can help Optimus to his room."

"B-but what about Jack?" she gestured to her human companion who gave a small wave.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll see to it that he's safe and sound. Just escort Prime to his room. He needs that rest." Jack was perplexed. He was being taken home by Ratchet himself? Was he actually serious? The mech wasn't known for his liking towards humanity at times. After all, on the first day they came to the base, he wasn't nearly that impressed by their lack in some fields. But Ratchet had grown used to them, them being Raf who earned his trust.

He narrowed his eyes. What exactly was the old, crusty bot up to? Instead of finding an answer, he was picked up by Ratchet, who shifted into his vehicle mode, asked if he wanted to ride with the sirens on (in which Jack had declined) and rode off.

Shortly after their departure, Arcee blinked after them. She realized that they had left her with the Autobot leader. What the frag was Ratchet doing? She clenched her servo into a fist as she inhaled sharply. _Note to self: Burn Ratchet's wrenches. He will pay._

"I-I apologize for Ratchet's …odd behavior," Optimus was baffled by how quickly the medic left. "Most of the time, he does not act out of character." He sighed. "I'll have a talk with him when he returns." A faint blush began to form in his cheekplates.

Her lips twitched into a shy smile as she looked away. Primus. He was so slagging cute when he blushed! Not only was it cute, but it was an amazing experience to see Optimus struggle a bit with his emotions. She remembered that he never hung around femmes much, since becoming a Prime.

The femme observed him nervously drumming his fingers along his upper legs; his faceplates turning a bright shade of pink. "It's fine, Optimus," she shrugged. "Honestly, the last time I've seen Ratchet this excited was over the kids' school projects." She giggled. "Which didn't go too well."

"Mmm." Optimus gave a low chuckle, closing his optics at the vague memory of the CMO eagerly asking how the presentations went, then stomping off afterwards. When he onlined his optics, a yelp escaped his mouth as he jumped back from Arcee being close to his face. She was so close. _So close._ He sucked in a deep breath and backed away a little.

"You okay, Optimus?" Arcee asked worriedly, having to have captured his shock.

Rather than answering it to her face, he peeled away and mumbled, "I'm fine." He silently cursed Primus for making him feel this way. Especially when she reminded him of Elita. Frag it. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Just why? He jerked as her small servos rested on his arm. At her touch, as if it were electric, his spark began to beat thunderously.

"So, uh…if you give me your arm, I'll hoist you up nice and easy," she patted his shoulder armor.

After a moment or two of exhanged glances, Optimus eventually lent his arm to Arcee and slowly got off the medical slab. His joints creaked and his injury started to howl at the pain. He chose to ignore it, focusing on the tiny creature besides him and did what she instructed him to do. She was his reason to fighting for the peace they often desired for eons to come.

"Nice and easy, Optimus," Arcee smiled as she watched him take a few more slow steps. "You're doing fine." She grinned more when she lifted her head to meet his gaze, one that caused him to react to his spark beating harder than before and falling to his knees.

"Optimus?!" the femme exclaimed as he fell half of the way. Luckily, he hadn't collapsed. But he was indeed panting. "What happened? Are you okay?" He took his chance to look at her face, but couldn't formulate words since his breaths were becoming ragged. "Never mind that now. Let's try this again. Ready? One…"

He didn't want to forget her touch. Her sweet smell.

"Two…"

Her hand in his of what was to be their final moment, forever trapped in the cold wasteland.

"Three!"

With a groan, Optimus was heaved back onto his feet and this time, Arcee made sure he was stable enough. "Whew! You alright, Chief?" She exhaled tiredly.

He panted some more, struggling to respond, "I-I…," more heaving followed, "…never been better before in my life, Arcee." He stopped as he gently smiled. "Thank you." That reassured her that he was okay. She nodded as she moved him along towards the hallway.

"We're going to continue this on the way down. Promise me one thing," she said.

He cocked his head.

"Just don't fall on me. Please." She weakly smiled.

He rolled his optics teasingly as he said, "Trust me, I don't plan to." Then, with a limp to to his steps, they left the main bay.

* * *

"Ratchet, what was that back there?" Jack said it more like an accusation.

"What was?" his voice grumbled through the speakers as he drove through the town of Jasper, Nevada. He knew what exactly Jack was talking about, but made no further comments on the subject.

"You know darn well what. Optimus and Arcee?"

"Oh, that. I'm not doing anything wrong, Jack. Arcee is, though small, strong enough to support a bot like Optimus," Ratchet huffed impatiently as they stopped before a stoplight that glared red.

"I know, but… _Optimus and Arcee_?" Jack pointed out. "Are you trying to pair them up or what?" If it weren't for Jack's assistance in keeping Ratchet on the road, they both would have most likely been killed.

"Wh-what? I am doing no such thing!" the mech stuttered like crazy. Jack, however, wasn't impressed.

He shrugged as he looked out the window. "Sure, that's what they all say now." After a moment or two of silence, Jack asked again as he looked at the dashboard, "Ratchet?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"I'm glad that Optimus and Arcee have each other to depend on." He smiled. Ratchet was quiet. He didn't know what that meant at first, but then it hit him.

He spoke through the speakers again, his voice sounding a bit happier than usual, "So am I, Jack. So am I."

* * *

"Easy…easy…," Arcee cautioned as she helped Optimus slowly sit down on his berth in his quarters. The Prime moaned a little at the burning sensation of his injury threatening to open up. The minute his aft met the cold metal, Arcee visibly relaxed. "There." She sighed with relief.

But shortly after he sat down, he suddenly became lightheaded and hit the back of his helm when he landed on his back.

"Oh, Primus!" She rushed to his side, checking his helm for any cracks and signs of energon seeping. So far, there was nothing. She sighed with relief. "Do you need something? Energon cubes, ice, anything?" He muttered something that she partially made out and raced off to retrieve it.

In her absence, Optimus groaned as he felt the room spinning around him. It hurt. It pained his processors so much he had that urge to start purging his tanks out. He raised a servo, pinched his closed optics with his digits, sighing as he forced himself to relax and enter recharge mode. There was one problem: He couldn't. _Where are you, Arcee?_ He wondered helplessly. What was taking her so long?

While she took her time finding what he needed, he stared at the ceiling, hoping the straight lines in the piping and the molding would ease the aching. He tapped his fingers along his chest and shut his eyes. Waiting.

"Here." Arcee's voice popped up as he slowly onlined. But he stopped when he felt a wet towel being rested on his forehead. "This should help." Prime gave her a confused look. "Whenever I'd get dizzy, my parents always put a wet cloth on my forehead to make it go away and it always worked like a charm."

"I-I see…" He hummed and turned away. Oh, how he longed to sleep. But with the room still spinning and his wound wimpering as he breathed, he couldn't. Arcee realized this as she heard his low groans. He was still feeling pain.

"O-Optimus?" she asked, leaning in closer.

His spark soared at the sweetness of her voice and electricity coursed throughout his wiring. He glanced back at her, allowing his optics to rover over her sleek frame. The further he got down to viewing her private parts, the harder his spark seemed to thump and wail. There was no question that he had fallen for her. Since their short time being trapped and rescued in the Arctic, he had been conflicted with his old emotions. Optimus once went to Ratchet for aid on dealing with femmes, since he wasn't used to being around them, only to leave the med-bay with more questions. Primes were engineered to lead their people to the justice they'd been dreaming of for eons and be the leaders their peers expected them to be. What he hadn't expected at all was this particular moment.

"…Arcee…?" he mumbled, his vocals much lower than before.

"Yes?"

A servo came to caress her cheekplate lovingly. Arcee flinched a little, but relaxed as she leaned into it. It was warm. Warm like Optimus was. She froze upon noticing an emotion in Optimus's optics she couldn't make out. Was he remorseful? Guilty? Angry? Whatever it was, she hated it.

"I've been…," he said slowly as he gravitated her down to his level, "…searching for so long…," his bright sapphire optics peeked out from underneath the cloth as he panted. "I'm feeling unsure..."

"What do you mean?" she was confused.

His fingers found their way to the back of her neck and pulled her towards him. He didn't let her finish as the words spilled from his mouth, "…this…," He hesitated for a few clicks, but gently kissed her once he knew.

For her part, she softly gasped as she felt his warm mouth on hers, mind silently panicking. She didn't know what to do. Pull away? Indulge him? She was very confused. But within the first few touches, she moaned, feeling his glossa attempting to invade her mouth. The femme granted him access to explore and bit his lower lip.

He groaned at the nibble and began to pick up the speed by tracing the contours of her face and helm, earning pleasure filled moans in return. He sensed she was enjoying this and hummed thoughtfully. He knew he did too. After so many months of endless battles and weariness, this felt so right. His servos trailed down her back where they paused momentarily at her aft, causing her to emit a squeak of alarm into his mouth.

She was mortified. He just had to go and grab her aft?! Primus, what sort of nasty plan did he have in mind?

The servos continued the way down to the top of her legs; playing with this and that. For the first time in years, he was feeling satisfied. It was just him and Arcee alone. No one else. He purred as he teased her legs. But he stopped short, grumbling to himself when he realized he couldn't go down further, and to do that task meant sitting up. _Frag this_, he thought. Optimus sat up, but hissed when the pain in where Nemesis Prime had struck him and his aching processors spun worsened, forcing him to lay back down. He growled. He finally had his chance, and his slagged up wound had to go and mess it up.

"Hey," Arcee said softly, stroking his cheekplate. "It's okay."

Prime groaned. No, it wasn't. He wanted to desperately show her how she meant to him, but couldn't due to his injury. It was like Primus had reminded him of what his current role in the war was. "I shouldn't be doing this," he lied.

"I shouldn't either." Arcee agreed sadly. They sat like this for a while, not knowing what to do. "Optimus?"

"Yes, Arcee?"

"Should we forget this ever happened?"

He wanted to deny that, but knew they had to do this. "…Come here." He requested, offering her his hand. An exhausted smile split his faceplates when she took it and he brought her to lay next to him on his berth. "Arcee, no matter what happens to us later on, know that I will always, _always_, be there for you."

That made her grin as she burrowed her helm into the side of his large chest. "I know." His arm wound itself around her frame as he held onto her. He hummed, relishing in the sweet contact. They didn't talk afterwards for the rest of the night. Instead, they laid down together silently, Cybertronian to Cybertronian, thinking of a future without war. What it would have been like if the war had never happened in the first place.

Two beings who thought they were going to die in the Arctic now forever brought together by fate. They didn't say they loved each other yet, but they knew they cared for one another. And so they waited. Waited until it was the right time.

* * *

Yeah…heh. *scratches back of head* Didn't come out the way I wanted to, but I guess it's alright for now. Maybe I'll edit this later when I have the time to.

-Halo


End file.
